Disputed church site may be moved from scenic area

TUCSON, AZ — The proposed site for a Greek Orthodox monastery may be moved in response to complaints that the church would mar a scenic view of Cochise Stronghold.

Greek Orthodox monks met privately with some of the critics and agreed to move the tall buildings from the hill where they were supposed to be built, said the Rev. Nektarios “Nick” Arvanitakis, who has been acting as a spokesman for the Dormition of Theotokos Greek Orthodox Monastery. He declined to elaborate.

“We are moving in the right direction, but it’s just verbal at this point,” said Eve Searle, co-owner of the Grapevine Canyon Ranch, near the site of the planned monastery.

The original plans for the monastery called for a church and a bell tower and spire to be built on a hill underneath a popular rock landmark called Rockfellow Dome, considered a visual gateway to the eastern Cochise Stronghold.

The Cochise County Planning and Zoning Commission granted the monastery a modification, allowing the church to exceed the zoning regulation for the area and build a church up to 60 feet high.

When some residents learned of the modification they became concerned, arguing a church that tall built on a hill would be a blight on the view of the stronghold.

The stronghold, in the Dragoon Mountains about 70 miles southeast of Tucson, once served as a natural fortress for Chiricahua Apache leader Cochise and his people. Cochise is buried inside the stronghold, which is a blend of public and private property, though the exact location of his grave is unknown.